Steeped in clan clashes, famous wars, colonisation and the ultimate struggle for freedom the history of Orissa stands apart from the general history of India. From the very beginning the state of Orissa has been the domain of the tribal races, especially, Utkal and those from Kalinga. In fact ancient Orissa was known by the name of Kalinga, the kingdom of Emperor Ashoka. The tales from the history of Orissa are 3500 years old. While some of these historical tales narrate the tribal clashes for supremacy, others recount the political and social structures of ancient Orissa.

The history of Orissa can be divided into ancient, medieval and modern history where the latter deals with the uprise against the colonial powers, especially the British Raj. According to the ancient history of Orissa, the state was also known as Utkal and Odra. In fact during the rule of the Aryans the kingdom of Kalinga was a name to reckon with. The reference to this kingdom is quite frequent in Mahabharata as well. The ancient political history begins with the Nanda rulers. The Hatigumpha inscription the Nanda king has been twice referred to. It was Chandragupta Maurya who captured the Nanda king`s throne and thus the Mauryan reign commenced. However it is the Kalinga War that has been immortalised in the history of India. The sudden transformation of Ashoka from a power hungry emperor to Buddhist monk is an unforgettable tale.

Post Ashoka the history of Orissa mentions a number of ruling dynasties, such as, the Kharavelas, Guptas, Satavahanas, Eastern Gangas, Nalas, Parvatadvarakas, Durjayas, Sailodbhavas and others. During the medieval times the Marathas and the Mughals ruled over the kingdom of Orissa. According to the medieval history of Orissa in 1576 the Muslim rulers occupied the state. It was not before 1751 that the Maratha rule was established in Orissa. Although Orissa was under the reign of the Mughals but it owes its architectural grandeur to the ancient rulers. Whether it was the Sun Temple at Konark or the Udaygiri and Khandgiri caves, these architectural delights were built in ancient Orissa.

As far as religion is considered a major change was noticed post Kalinga War. Ashoka adopted Buddhism and inspired others to do the same. After the Kharavela kings were Jains. Hence even Jainism had an impact on the religious faith of the masses. However there are several temples in Orissa dedicated to Hindu deities that had been built by Hindu kings. Of these the most popular temple is the Jagannath Temple, Puri. In 1803 Orissa once again witnessed transfer of powers when the British captured it from the Marathas in the Second Anglo-Maratha war. The British East India Company then divided the state of Orissa into three districts: Cuttack, Puri and Balasore. Initially the coastal area of Orissa was separated from Bengal and later in 1936 it was separated from Bihar.

Time and again the people of Orissa have revolted against the British imperialism. The Paik Rebellion of 1817 was a revolt against the British land revenue system. The great famine broke out in 1866 and its effects were felt across the state. The modern history of Orissa and the subsequent Freedom Movement links Orissa to the general history of India. Like the rest of the country there had been a mass participation in the Swadeshi Movement, Non Cooperation Movement, Civil Disobedience Movements and others. Freedom fighters, such as, Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Das, Harekrushna Mahtab, Gopabandhu Choudhury, Nabakrushna Choudhury, Bagirathi Mahapatra, Gopabandhu Choudhury, Lingaraj Misra, Surendra Nath Das and others were instrumental in Orissa`s freedom struggle against the British.

Several socio-political reforms were undertaken by people, like, Utkal Gourab Madhusudan Das to improve the condition of the people. After a long period of struggle the state of Orissa finally gained its liberty when India was declared independence on 15th august, 1947. Post Independence several attempts were made to reorganise the state as several areas were independently ruled by tribal chiefs. Today Orissa stands united as one state where people belonging to several tribes and communities coexist peacefully.